Single Reviews - Feb 07

Words - Suzy Sims
Previously published on Native.tv in Feb 07 http://www.native.tv
(c) Niche News & Publishing Ltd

Cherish - Unappreciated
Sho'Nuff / Capitol, 12th February 2007

According to the press blurb, Cherish are 'hot Atlanta quartet' Farrah, Neosha, Felisha and Fallon. They've got the looks, but can they deliver musically? Well it's all right. Nothing special. Enjoyed the backing track, a mix of cute beeps and thundering bass. The girls have nice voices, although a little strangely warbled in places (there surely are not THAT many notes in a semitone?) Too slow to be fast, but not slow enough to be a ballad, this doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. There are three versions of the same song on this promo CD, and I'm struggling to sit through the lot with enthusiasm.

http://www.cherishsisters.com

-----

The Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control
Back Yard Recordings, 26th February 2007

Seriously cool disco fun with a real grinding beat to it. ‘Jealous Girls’ was meant to be the next single but demand for 'Standing In The Way Of Control' was so great it was re-released. We have endless trailers for C4’s ‘Skins’ to thank for that. The tune can get slightly annoying after a bit, but Beth Ditto’s vocals keep the song sounding amazingly fresh and powerful, even after several listens. Let’s see if new purchases send it rocketing high up into the charts. FYI, the Soulwax remix is the one used in 'Skins'.

http://www.myspace.com/gossipband

-----

Hadouken! - That Boy That Girl
Surface Noise, February 2007

Blimey. 'That Boy That Girl' is full-on noise, tongue-in-cheek, sweaty, hot and dark grindie. It sounds like Mike Skinner is having sex with Klaxons while Pennie from the Automatic shouts at them angrily down a dodgy phoneline. ‘I’m an indie limey / yeah but I like it grimey.’ B-side ‘Tuning In’ is amusing, with James attempting to converse with a girl he just wants to take home. Cue his not-really-listening social skills: ‘Yeah, yeah / uh huh uh huh’. Collectors of things vinylish will be pleased that the 500 copies released have been individually coloured by Hadouken! band members in attractive fluorescent pens. Hot stuff.

http://www.myspace.com/hadoukenuk

-----

Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
B-Unique, 19th February 2007

To be honest, when I heard ‘Ruby’ live last year I thought it was one of the Chiefs weaker new ones. Skip forward a few months and a few listens, and this is an actual stadium rocker. There’s no doubt it will be huge. Everyone is singing ‘Ruby Ruby Ruby RUBY’ everywhere. It’s a explosive grower with typical Kaisery keyboards and a corking middle bit (“Could it be / That you’re messing with me / And you don’t really see you with me?”). There are thoughtful, pensive guitars, singalongs, high bits, and a stop. That’s all the 'Hit' boxes ticked. It’s a great song and a mighty mighty return. But I still think they have better new ones, which can only bode well for 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob'...

http://www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk

-----

The Long Blondes - Giddy Stratospheres
Rough Trade, 5th February 2007

It’s slick, it’s sliding, it's 'Giddy Stratospheres'. “There’s a train at the station / It’s leaving / This morning” still raises the hairs on my arms, even after repeated album plays. The backing music reminds of ‘Space’ by Pulp for some bizarre reason, even though the two don’t sound remotely similar; it’s just the sense of a wider galaxy just beyond reach, that feeling of other worldliness. Unsure if this will be a big hit as it’s a bit too fragmented and angular for commercial radio. “She’ll never take you to giddy stratospheres / I’ll confirm your fears.” Still easily one of their best though.

http://www.thelongblondes.co.uk

-----

Misha Williams - Unexpectedly
Johnny Boy Records, 26th February 2007

We can imagine teenage girls prancing about to this and singing into their hairbrushes. Misha Williams sounds nicely Hilary Duffish over the top of the very radio friendly, guitar strummy beat of ‘Unexpectedly’. Ultimately pleasant, this track sounds like it should be on the soundtrack of a Lindsay Lohan film. B-side ‘Excluded’ has a friendly poppy beat. But what’s that? When you put the track names together, you get ‘Unexpectedly Excluded’. Hmm, maybe she’s more of a rebel than we’ve been led to believe (or maybe we’ve just had too much coffee…)

http://www.mishawilliams.com